iHeartRadio is launching into the wide world of talk radio, with iHeartRadio Talk. Along with featuring content (which iHeartRadio calls audiosodes) from top national and local talk personalities such as The Huffington Post, Ryan Seacrest, Univision, and the Wall Street Journal, iHeartRadio will also allow any one in the world to upload their own audiosode through Spreaker.
Spreaker is a service that gives anyone, from musicians to producers to radio personalities, the opportunity to be heard, by uploading their audio to the service and broadcasting it to the world. iHeartRadio has developed a partnership with Spreaker to power the audio capture/recording/uploading of users content on to iHeartRadio Talk.
“We think of iHeartRadio Talk as a middle ground between WordPress and YouTube,” said Brian Lakamp, head of digital at Clear Channel. “Audio hasn’t really been explored when it comes to user generated content, and we want to be at the forefront of that.”
iHeartRadio Talk consists of three main pieces.
The first is show pages. Anyone who uploads audiosodes to iHeartRadio talk will automatically get a show page, to which users can subscribe and find out more information about the personality.
When users submit audiosodes for consideration, they’re first run through an editorial team to ensure high quality content. While iHeartRadio certainly doesn’t want to censor anyone, it’s a tough line to walk when there are plenty of people who will poop out possibly offensive, or simply worthless, content to the platform.
During this beta period, iHeartRadio will work to figure out the best editorial process for allowing audiosodes onto the service.
The second piece of the puzzle is the Daily Pulse, which is a customizable channel filled with all the hottest audiosodes for the day. When a user signs in, they’ll automatically be given a pre-set Daily Pulse, which they can then go in and customize to add their friends’ audiosodes, their favorite sports shows, etc.
Finally, iHeartRadio Talk offers a new way to advertise for iHeartRadio. “We have a huge opportunity to build out branded content, whether its DIY shows, automotive shows, or shows about fashion and cooking,” said LeKamp. “We can do this in a way that resonates with the brands but still offers high value content.”
For the time being, this is a beta launch. Still there are more than 50,000 audiosodes across 20 channels that iHeartRadio fans can tap into. Users can access the beta version of the iHeartRadio Talk service on the web or through iHeartRadio’s iOS or Android apps.